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Since the theme of this morning’s Social Media Breakfast Waterloo Region was all about social media metrics, measurement and actionable intelligence, it makes sense to use this event into a ‘proof of concept’ case study. Let’s explore what we heard as a group this morning, categorize the feedback as we align the metrics with goals, then plan actions from the results. As with all events and conversations, the learning doesn’t stop just because the event has ended. Neither does the conversation.

Question 1: Why turn this into a story?

A1: Because the results indicate overwhelmingly that the #smbWR audience learns the most and responds most positively to narratives they can relate to. We know this because:

Attendees made the effort to search out the Kraft Rainbow Oreo story

Then they shared this forward through tweets

‘Oreo’ and ‘Kraft’ were one of the top 5 themes in tweets from the event

Which often included positive sentiment indicators, such as ‘especially loved this’

When asked if they’d prefer Q&A or a quick run through of Roger’s story and measurement/analysis, the audience voted to hear the story

ACTIONS:

Based on the feedback, it seemed like a good idea to write this story, because chances are the audience will relate to it and learn further from it.

Take a few risks of your own, and look at the results from multiple angles

Question 2: What other things did we learn today, aside from the goals of the presentation?

A2: We learned that Quarry Communications really understands Customer Experience, as does the smbWR team. And both are committed to nurturing social business conversations and education. We know this because:

Quarry very graciously offered to host us all in their very cool facility.

Everything about the experience – from the creative design aesthetics, to the Bauer Kitchen gift card donations, and the team’s efforts to ensure that we were comfortable is consistent with Quarry’s mission: Understanding and delivery of ‘Buyer Experience Value Chain’

Quarry staff were fully engaged – on-line and off – Before, During, and After the event. They know that the experience and conversation carries on. Our experience as ‘customers’ has been standardized across all channels.

If the goal is to grow a collaborative community, James provides a good example of how to do it well by focusing on the ecosystem versus brand, personality or self promotion.

This event was organized and the topic chosen as a direct result response to feedback provided by attendees of last month’s smbWR ‘All Day Breakfast Unconference’. James listened to feedback, tied it to the goal to provide what audience wanted, then organized the presentation, and promoted it well. Listen –> Analyze –> Act

After the event, one of the smbWR team members shared that once booked, she’d been following my tweets for the past few weeks. Smart girl, she understands the value that is gained by doing a little advance research.

ACTIONS:

Explore both Quarry Integrated Communications and Communicate & Howe further. They really understand the concepts of customer experience across many channels -> and can help you strategize to meet your goals for your customers.

Be an active participant in the smbWR community: Connect with others you met at the event. Share your ideas, stories. Offer to speak. Act as a Host for a future event.

Keep the conversation going. Engage.

Question 3: What did attendees learn from today’s event?

A3: Some attendees will now look at metrics and analysis as part of a larger measurement strategy, as opposed to isolated activities. We know this because:

One of the top themes that emerged in updates posted during the presentation was ‘framework’, followed closely by and often with,‘Listen, Analyze, Take Action‘. –> Rinse and repeat in infinite loops.

Another note that resonated was “looking at singular metrics in isolation isn’t nearly as useful as grouping and comparing metrics.”

Some metrics are static. New goals and formulas for ‘success’ measurement require regular reviews, creation and tweaks. The Roger’s lay-off/profit/competition/Q1/2012 current news provided and example of how to break up events into metrics and measurements that address goals, risks, and the customer experience.

smbWR audience also seemed to relate to the concept that basic training of staff should include instructing them on the overall brand vision/mission/voice of the organization.

ACTIONS:

Consider how to incorporate social media discoveries into new and existing business processes. (So we have a hot lead via twitter. Now what do we do with it?)

I’m sure some are curious about the tools used to gather and assess the tweets from today. They are:

Tweetdeck: Which is the tool I use day-to-day for my personal engagement & management of my twitter stream. For this event I created a separate column for the hashtag #smbWR, then I filtered the tweets based on specific keywords (i.e. oreo, Quarry, framework, etc.)

NextPrinciples: The cool graphics and deeper analysis was done with NextPrinciples, which I mentioned during today’s bit on tools. I’d shared my recommendation that NextPrinciples is a particularly useful tool for events – and used it to practice what I preached. I’d like to thank the NP team for putting this together for me while I was returning from Quarry. Yes, it was that fast. ;-p

I know that I gleaned much more from today’s event than just the examples given above, and I’m hoping you did, too. This is merely meant as an example of how you can listen, derive insights and plot actions in (almost) real time for your own organizations events.

Really enjoyed it, thanks for attending and sharing highlights, questions and your stories. I’m happy to field any further questions you might have.

4 thoughts on “Practicing what we preach: Insights and Actions from smbWR Measurement presentation”

Well . . . it looks like I missed a spectacular event. Of course, distances being what they are, it’s doubtful I could have attended even had I known it was going to happen. Regardless, thanks for this very well organized self-appraisal and analysis of the overall content. I am girding my loins for another tilt at the windmills of corporate life and this is quite helpful in guiding my efforts. Thanks Kelly. Perhaps we shall talk again some day?

I almost forgot. Although it’s something that I know, I took away your key message about talking to your customers about what they want. It’s reinforced that it’s something the smbWR needs to do before the fall and it’s also something that I need to do in my effort to take my communications firm to the next level. The advice was timely and welcome!